1. Field of Endeavor
The present invention relates to diagnosis and more particularly to a diagnostic kiosk or diagnostic station for diagnosing diseases.
2. State of Technology
The article, “The Asthma Kiosk: A Patient-centered Technology for Collaborative Decision Support in the Emergency Department” by Stephen C. Porter, Zhaohui Cai, William Gribbons, Donald A. Goldmann, and Isaac S. Kohane in J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2004 November-December; 11(6): 458-467. doi: 10.1197/jamia.M1569 provides the following state of technology information. “The Asthma Kiosk is a patient-centered technology that promotes capture of critical information necessary to drive guideline-based care for pediatric asthma. The design of this application, the asthma kiosk, addresses five critical issues for patient-centered technology that promotes guideline-based care: (1) a front-end mechanism for patient-driven data capture, (2) neutrality regarding patients' medical expertise and technical backgrounds, (3) granular capture of medication data directly from the patient, (4) formal algorithms linking patient-level semantics and asthma guidelines, and (5) output to both patients and clinical providers regarding best practice. The formative evaluation of the asthma kiosk demonstrates its ability to capture patient-specific data during real-time care in the emergency department (ED) with a mean completion time of 11 minutes. The asthma kiosk successfully links parents' data to guideline recommendations and identifies data critical to health improvements for asthmatic children that otherwise remains undocumented during ED-based care.”
The article, “Use of Computer Kiosks for Breast Cancer Education in Five Community Settings” by Matthew W. Kreuter et a provides the following state of technology information: “The use of kiosks to deliver health information is growing rapidly (Science Panel on Interactive Communication and Health, 1999). In published studies alone, kiosk-based programs have been used to assess cancer risk (Strecher, 1999; Westman, Hampel, & Bradley, 2000); assist in asthma management (Porter, Cai, Gribbons, Goldmattn, & Kohane, 2004); identify and manage different types of headaches (Schneider, Furth, Blalock, & Sherrill, 1999); provide general medical information (Nicholas, Huntington, Williams, & Vickery, 2001); teach safe sex negotiation skills (Thomas, Cahill, & Santilli, 1997); educate about Alzheimer's disease (Connell et al., 2003), skin cancer {Lindholm, Isacsson, Slaug, & Moller, 1998), diabetes management (Lewis & Nath, 1997), food safety {Endres, Welch, & Perseli, 2001), and tuberculosis management (Hripcsak et al., 1999); and promote weight loss (Wylie-Rosett et al., 2001) . . . . Studies of naturalistic kiosk use in community settings have been relatively rare. The largest known project, the Michigan Interactive Health Kiosk Project, put 100 computer kiosks addressing 10 different health topics in community centers, super-markets, shopping malls, YMCAs, and local health departments throughout Michigan (Strecher, 1999). Although usage was estimated at 400,004 annually and some information suggested a diverse base of users, no systematic evaluation of kiosk use has yet been reported. The most comprehensive community usage study ‘to date was conducted by Radvan, Wiggers, and Hazell (2004), who observed exposure to and use of a multitopic health information kiosk placed in shopping centers, health care facilities, licensed clubs (places where gambling is permitted), and a cinema complex in New South Wales, Australia.”
International Patent Publication No. WO2/002023459 for a system for medication dispensing and integrated data management by Medvantix Inc. provides the following state of technology information: “Prescription Dispensing Procedure Current prescription filling methods and processes are inadequate and inefficient. First, an authorized caregiver, usually a doctor, writes a prescription on a pre-printed prescription pad. The patient selects a retail pharmacy, usually based upon insurance coverage, and presents the handwritten prescription for filling. The pharmacy puts the prescription into a preparation queue and when the prescription reaches the top of the queue, the pharmacy enters the prescription into its own records or system. If necessary, the pharmacy personnel place calls (callbacks) to the medical office to clarify or notify MD of issues or questions. Some of the reasons for these callbacks are: clinical issues, quantity issues or recommend medication change (these examples are not conclusive). The pharmacy selects the prescription medication according to prescription benefits manager (PBM) guidelines. The prescription is taken from stock within the pharmacy, prepared, bottled and labeled. The patient receives the medication and required counseling from the pharmacist. The patient then pays a co-pay if required. The pharmacy retains the details of the prescription for refilling. International Patent Publication No. WO2/002023459 claims a medical system for integrating data management with the process of controllably dispensing products including medications, the system comprising: one or more dispensers configured to controllably release a product in response to a control signal; an admission subsystem configured to maintain patient information; and a prescription subsystem coupled to said one or more dispensers and configured to receive entry of prescription information, to relate patient information from said admission subsystem to the prescription information to initiate a determination of whether the product is appropriate for the patient, and to send a control signal to said one or more dispenser units to release the product.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,638,218 for a system and method for delivering medical examination, diagnosis, and treatment over a network issued to Paul I. Bulat and assigned to American Doctors On-Line, Inc. Oct. 28, 2003 provides the following state of technology information: “Health care costs in the United States exceed one trillion dollars per year. In 1996, spending on health care in the United States exceeded fourteen percent of the Gross Domestic Product. Current health care system costs include annual service to over ninety million people in over five thousand hospital emergency departments. These ninety million or more visits impose an enormous burden on emergency departments. Ambulances on route toward the closest available emergency department are often diverted to other hospitals, sometime located in another city. The cause of such calamities is multi-factorial and includes: nursing shortages, bed unavailability, and grossly overcrowded, overburdened emergency rooms. Telecommunications technologies, and in particular, video-conferencing, offer an opportunity to provide cost effective care in a variety of settings. In particular, tele-medicine and tele-healthcare have been envisioned with respect to many specialties including: pathology, dermatology, surgery, ophthalmology, cardiology, and radiology. However, diagnosis and treatment in these areas require either a human presenter or mechanical equipment at the patient end to gather pertinent information related to the patient's condition.”